Patent · US Expired

Non-inverting driver circuit for low-dropout voltage regulator

US6225857A · kind A · utility

28Cited by
4References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 8, 2000
Grant dateMay 1, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 8, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG05F1/575
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A non-inverting driver circuit for an LDO pass device employs a level-shifting inverter stage followed by a normalizing inverter stage. The level-shifting stage converts the output common-referenced output of the error amplifier to a current, which is provided to the normalizing inverter. The normalizing stage is referred to the LDO input voltage, enabling its output signal to remain largely invariant with respect to changes in input voltage. The driver is preferably configured to have a low output impedance, so that when driving the high gate capacitance of a MOS pass device, the resulting pole is moved to a higher frequency than would be possible with a non-inverting driver having a high output impedance. With the driver being non-inverting and the low frequency pole moved higher, frequency compensating the regulator is simplified.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.